Anticipation has escalated in the two weeks before the Cyclones kick off their 2005 campaign at Jack Trice Stadium against Illinois State.

A lot has been made of the weakness of the Big 12, particularly the North division, which proves a perfect springboard for high expectations here in Ames.

The 2006 season is a little tougher, though. It will feature trips to Iowa, Texas and Oklahoma. I don’t believe there is a team anywhere in college football, not even USC, who could weather that storm with a winning record, and the rest of the schedule doesn’t appear much more friendly from there.

The talent on this year’s football team is, without much doubt, among the best we have had at Iowa State.

Add in the relative weakness within the North division — and what is probably the most favorable schedule in the history of Big 12 football — and one can see a legitimate window for serious strides toward national notoriety not seen since Seneca Wallace led the team to a top-10 ranking a few years ago.

The cause for excitement is legitimate, whether for the team’s skill, schedule or both. The Cyclones have talent at nearly every skill position, several returning starters from a formidable defense last season and a good chance of gaining national notice early on this season.

Of course, the talk is about the Iowa game, which is always important, but this year holds particular significance.

Iowa comes into the season with big dreams, as well as a very high ranking.

In this annual early season match up, the Cyclones could vault themselves into the national rankings rather quickly. Already, they received 18 votes for The Associated Press Top-25 poll and six votes in the USA Today/Coaches poll, so clearly the Cyclones have some attention.

After Iowa on Sept. 10, games at Army and a Nebraska team in the middle of rebuilding should prove easily winnable, as well as conference whipping boys Baylor the following week.

The next three games — a trip to Missouri, hosting Oklahoma State for homecoming and an extremely tough trip to College Station against Texas A&M and their legendary 12th man — will decide the Cyclone’s fate this season.

Should the team come out of that gambit with two or three wins, not only would a conference championship be reasonable, it would almost be expected.

Of course, injuries can always be a factor, and you can never be sure when another dark horse could come out of the woodwork. The Cyclones are still a young team, but the schedule gods have smiled upon them this year. I sincerely hope they can capitalize because next year will be much more daunting.